Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Chiloe adventures part 1

The island of Chiloe is just off the coast of Chile. It's a step backward in time, where things are slower, quieter and seem to be more in touch with the culture of olden days. Yes, the days of old. You take a bus, which goes on a ferry,and then drive slowly around small towns till you reach your destination. Which for me, was Castro, the largest town, a perfect hub for exploringthe island.

Castro is known for old houses called Palafitos, that are on stilts over the water. Painted brightly, they are slowly transforming into cafes and hotels as the tourism booms. Very cool from the sea, but from the street, they look like normal houses. One of the hotels let me in for a sneak peak, and it was awesome inside and the back patio on the water was perfect.

I took a small boat across the sea to a small town called Yutuy for a local fair that was awesome. Great to see the small, local area and as it was all about eating, I got down to it. Pigs roasting on spits, lamb shanks, ribs of goats and local potatoes were abounding, but the highlight was the Curanto, a feast cooked over hot stones in the ground. Loads of shellfish were tossed in first, then large leaves were placed to steam them, followed by chicken, potatoes, beef and potato pancakes. More leaves and 1 hour later, it was time to feast. Quite the large portion and the line was long as this is a special meal. Tasty and filling, it was good to try, and reminded me of meals in the South Pacific,such as the hangi in New Zealand.